


Where You Never Thought You'd Be

by Broodus



Series: Never Thought [1]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Deaf Ian, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Mickey Uses His Words, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Public Sex, Still romantic tho, Successful!Mickey, Vague talk of past abuse, nothing graphic tho, pop culture references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-01-23 15:57:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12510964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broodus/pseuds/Broodus
Summary: Mickey always thought he'd end up dead or in prison.Instead, after a kick in the ass and a lucky break, things seemed to be going pretty well. He and Mandy got a house together, he earned himself a career he loved, and he made an ass of himself in front of his hot neighbor.It turns out some things don't change after all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here it is! My first fic in years. Like many in this fandom, I fell in love with Mickey and Ian hard and fast. I just couldn't help but write up a fun little fic for them. I'm not any kind of professional writer, and I don't have a beta so I'm sorry for any mistakes.
> 
> Also, I'm not deaf. I'm just working with my own experiences and some research. No offense is intended.
> 
> Let me know if you like it and want me to continue. Happy reading!

“Lift with your knees, Dickbreath!”

“Eat my hairy ass hole! I’m liftin’, Bitch!”

Mickey heaved the end of the couch up and over the wooden railing of the narrow front porch. The throbbing in his lower back said that Mandy was right about the lifting thing, but he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of admitting it. Thankfully this was the last of the heavy stuff, ‘cause if he had to listen to his sister berate him for much longer he had a mind to hop in the moving van and park it in the living room. He didn’t think the rental insurance would cover that.

Mandy was still barking as if she could make the couch jump up and do it all by its self, “Pivot! Pivot! We’ll never get it through the door if we don’t pivot!”

He ground his teeth and prayed they got the couch in before he ended up murdering his sister. With more cursing followed by a sigh of relief, they finally got the heavy piece of furniture through the door and into the living room where they both relinquished their burden.

The siblings flopped onto the couch in a sweaty, panting heap.

“I’m never moving again. Ever,” Mickey panted, “I’ll burn this house down before that happens.”

Mandy turned to him with a wry smile, “At least I’ll be around to collect the insurance money.”

“Renters insurance, Tits-for-brains, the money goes to the owner.”

“Really? That blows. Ok get off your ass! We still got some boxes left in the truck,” She ordered as she skipped out the door.

With a groan, he heaved himself off the couch and zombie walked across the carpet and out the door. Crossing the yard, he took a chance to study his new neighborhood. It was a far cry from their old south side roots. But then, that’s why they chose to move to the north side. New beginnings and all that shit. There were no broken bottles and trash lining the gutters, no gunshots, no cars stripped and up on blocks. It wasn’t mansions and gated communities, like they could afford it, more like a step or two up from south side. Nice, but not too nice.

He passed Mandy on her way back and ascended the last the ramp into the truck and lifted two boxes before making his way back inside. Things proceeded quickly after that until he was finally descending the ramp with the last box.  Stepping up onto the sidewalk, he heard a door open from the house next door. He looked up and froze. It was like one of those shitty ‘90s teen movies where the love interest moves in slow motion. The guy was gorgeous. He always thought redheads were kind of alien-like but this guy was all man. He was in blue jogging pants and a tank top that made Mickey’s knees weak. The redhead glanced up as he made his way down the walk, and gave him a wave and a wide smile that lit up the whole block in broad daylight, before turning away and jogging down the sidewalk.

“You could crack a walnut in that ass,” Mandy said an inch from his ear as she appeared out of nowhere, startling him so bad, he nearly launched the box into the air as he just about jumped out of his skin.  Mandy brayed like a donkey as she followed him into the house.

“Shut up cuntrag,” he growled, voice tinged with embarrassment.

“You were staring at that guy like you wanted to eat him,” she laughed, following him through the living room to the kitchen, “which, I suppose you did now that I think of it.”

He dropped the box onto the countertop.

“I was not! I was just…checking out who our neighbors are.”

“Hell yeah you were checking him out,” she said as she hopped up onto a barstool on the other side of the counter, “You gonna chat him up?”

“We’ve lived here for like 4 hours. How about giving me a day or two to settle in before asking me to throw myself dick first at our new neighbor,” he said opening the box and pulling out newspaper-wrapped glasses.

“Maybe a day or two,” she said with a giggle as she started unwrapping glasses.

  Things continued that way as they continued to unpack the boxes in the kitchen. At some point, Mandy dug her iphone dock out of somewhere in her room and set it up on the counter. She took a minute to browse her music before settling on a classic rock playlist and turning the volume up loud. They worked into the evening finishing up the kitchen and moving on to the living room where Mickey set up the electronics and plugged in the cable, while Mandy put the bathroom together.

Mickey’s mind was pouring over everything he had to get done before he had to go to work on Monday, occasionally interrupted by Mandy’s off key singing or a fleeting thought of the redheaded sex-on-legs next door. While verbally beating the TV stand into submission, he heard a knock at the door. He had to force aside his latent south side suspicions and turned the music down before answering the door. The man on his front porch was about his height, with curly blonde-brown hair and he looked like a man who was sent to meet the new neighbors against his will.

“Hi. What can I do for ya,” Mickey asked, doing his best to not to be an asshole to a potential new neighbor.

The guy smiled awkwardly, “Hey man, I’m Lip. I live next door with my brother. He said he saw you moving in this afternoon and immediately turned into Martha Stewart,” He handed over a foil wrapped casserole dish, “He made some kind of white-people-Mexican casserole. Figured he’d save you the trouble of cooking.”

He heard Mandy making her way as he took the dish and made room for his sister, “Thanks man. I’m Mickey, and this is my baby sister Mandy.”

She gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs and plastered on a big smile as she reached out to shake his hand, “I’m 24 ya douche. It’s great to meet you Lip. You said your brother cooked?”

“Yeah, he’s like the gay, male Rachael Ray,” Lip said. The look on his face told Mickey the other man seemed to have forgotten he was there.

“Well we’re going to be busy over the weekend unpacking and stuff, but how about you and your brother come over on Wednesday evening at 8 for dinner,” Mandy suggested as she twirled a finger around a finger. Mickey rolled his eyes as he just stood there feeling like furniture.

Lip’s face brightened, ”Yeah that’d be great. Anything you want us to bring?”

“Nope! Just your brother and yourself.”

“Great! Well I’ll leave you two to your dinner. See you Wednesday if not sooner,” He said backing down the walkway, “Have a good night Mandy.”

Mandy smiled and waved as she shut the door and pressed her back against it with a dopey smile on her face.  Mickey just snorted and walked into the kitchen to dish up some food.

“You realize,” he called behind himself,” that you can’t cook anything beyond cereal and microwave dinners right?”

She groaned as she made her way into the kitchen, sitting on a bar stool at the counter accepting her plate.

“I know that. That’s where you come in.”

“Oh no. Nope. No Way,” he said taking a seat beside her, “This whole dinner party thing was all your idea.”

He took a bite of the casserole and nearly melted into a puddle on the floor. It was delicious. The flavors burst in his mouth, the cheese and chilies and spices were nearly orgasmic. He tucked in with fervor.

“Come on Mickey! You love to cook,” she said, groaning around her first bite, “Fuck this is so good. He cooks as well as you do. See it was fate! Please!”

“Fuck! Alright already. You owe me for this,” he said waving off her cheer as he finished his plate with a loud belch. He got up and rinsed his dishes in the sink, before moving back to the living room to finish setting up the TV. He was going to finish the night off sitting on his ass while watching some mindless television.

 

The rest of the weekend flew by and Monday morning came before he was ready. It was his first day at his new job and he was determined not to fuck this up. Mandy was still asleep as he walked out the door. Her classes at the local university didn’t start up for another week, and she had a job interview at the campus coffee shop later in the week, so she didn’t have a lot to do.

As he made his way out to his jeep, he saw Redhead on his way out too. Red gave him an enigmatic smile and wave before he got in his car and drove off leaving Mickey standing in his driveway smiling like an ass before, he too, got in his jeep and made his way to work.

After getting his GED as a teenager, Mickey worked in several menial labor jobs before discovering he had a knack for building things. It was during a construction job that he was discovered doodling building plans when his foreman recommended architecture. His company payed for his schooling, and suddenly he’s helping a team design actual buildings.  With a letter of recommendation, he secured a position with the company he now worked for.  He was hired to be part of a team that designs homes for families in need. If someone had told as a teen, that he’d go to college, get a legit career, and love every bit of it, he would have robbed them. He’d gotten lucky.

His day was spent meeting the team, and boring himself over new hire paperwork. The team was welcoming, and was excited to include him in various goings on. They even took him to this burger joint that had the greasiest, most delicious bacon double cheese burger he’d ever had. It was damn near a religious experience. After lunch, conversation came easily among the group and the day sped along much more quickly.

On his way home, he stopped at the grocery store. That casserole was gone and he needed something other than a pb&j for dinner. Plus, he had a dinner party to cook for. He was just rounding the corner into the produce section when he spotted his redhead feeling up some peaches.

 _Time to break the ice. Don’t be an ass,_ he thought to himself.

“Hey neighbor,” he said jovially, walking up behind Red who didn’t even look up. Not satisfied with the lack of reaction he tried again.

“Hey neighbor,” he said louder, tapping him on the shoulder this time. The guy startled so bad half a dozen peaches scattered to the floor. He whipped around with his fists in the air.

“Whoa, Whoa,” he said putting his hands up in a ‘don’t shoot me’ gesture, “Didn’t mean to scare ya dude.”

When he was sure he wasn’t going to end up with a broken nose, he bent down to pick up the runaway peaches as he kept talking.

“I just wanted to introduce myself since I didn’t get a chance to this morning,” he stood up, replaced the peaches, and held out a hand with his best smile, “I’m Mickey Milcovich”

The guy gave him a confused look, as he tentatively shook his hand. He held up a finger and dug a small notepad and pen out of his back pocket. After a moment of writing, during which Mickey was realizing he might be kind of an idiot, Red turned the pad to show him what was written.

_I’m deaf dude. I need you to face me when you talk so I can read your lips._

He felt the blood rush to his face, as his suspicions were confirmed. He dragged a hand down his face before smiling shyly.

“Not to be rude, but do I need to talk slower or anything?”

He was already writing by the time he finished talking. He flipped the pad around with a smile.

_Nah. Just don’t mumble and we’re good._

“Good. Good. I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself earlier. I’m Mickey.”

He smiled again as he wrote.

_Ian. How are you settling in?_

“Great! The neighborhood is nice, and the neighbors ain't half bad either,” he said with a wink and a grin that just widened at the flush that spread across Ian’s pale cheeks as he wrote on the pad.

_Keep up the flirting and the neighbors will get even better. It was nice meeting you Mickey. I have a peach tart to bake. Don’t be a stranger._

“Yeah, I’ll see you later,” he said as Ian gave him a little wave and pushed his cart towards the checkout area. He eyed the peaches with a smile as he gave in to the urge to make his own peach tart. He finished his shopping with a smile on his face.

 

Wednesday was finally here and he’s done nothing but complain since he got home from work. He didn’t really mind the whole dinner party thing but he had to complain on principle. And because it annoyed Mandy.

“If you don’t stop complaining, I’m going to stab you in the dick with a fork.”

“I’m just saying, if you really wanted to fuck Lip, you could’ve just thrown yourself on the ground with your vag in the air and he probably would have done you in the front yard. I saw the way he was looking at you,” Mickey said as he chopped vegetables for a salad. Dinner was almost ready and all they were missing were the guests of honor.

Mandy rolled her eyes, “Shut up douche bag. Not everything is about sex. Not that you would know either way, seeing as how you haven’t had sex in like a thousand years. He was cute, and sweet, and I’m going to ask him out after dinner.”

She snagged a chopped tomato before he could smack her hand away and popped it into her mouth. Sure he hadn’t been with anyone in a while, but he lost interest in casual sex a while back. Who knew you could develop ethics, morals and self esteem later in life?

Just as the oven timer went off, there was a knock at the door.

“My sex life is off limits at the dinner table,” Mickey said as his sister made her way to the door, and he bent over to pull the food out of the oven. When he straightened, he caught a familiar flash of red and nearly dropped all the food. All that college, and he’s still an idiot. It never dawned on him that the brother Lip mentioned the other day might be Ian. He also just realized that someone just said something to him and he’s just been standing there staring at Ian, who is now wearing a bemused look on his face.

“I’m sorry. What was that,” Mickey asked, hurriedly putting the hot pans down.

“I said, dumbass, that this is Lip’s brother Ian,” she turned to her guests, Lip’s hands moving; translating Mickey realized, “I swear he has the attention span of a crack baby.”

Ignoring Mandy’s comments, he walked over and shook the brother’s hands. If he held Ian’s hand a touch longer than strictly necessary, no one commented on it.

“Actually, Ian and I met already. We ran into each other at the grocery store,” he said while Mandy’s eyebrows rose and her grin appeared.

“Really,” she drew out the word like it was something dirty, “You never said anything.”

“That’s because, at the time, I didn’t realize Ian here,” he gestured to the redhead, “was the brother that was coming to dinner. Now are we eating or what?”

Ian started signing and Lip translated aloud, “What’s for dinner?”

They all sat around the table chatting as he dished out some chicken cordon bleu along with some couscous and roasted vegetables. It was a bit on the fancy side, but he wanted to make a good impression. As he took his seat, Lip spoke up, fingers moving rapidly.

“So, what do you do for work Mickey?”

“I’m an architectural engineer. Right now, I’m helping to design houses for low income families.”

“Wow! That must be really rewarding,” Ian signed, Lip still translating, “How do you choose the candidates?”

“We don’t, we go through a local non-profit organization. That way, the families don’t get overwhelmed with taxes and stuff they can’t pay,” he replied, taking a bite of vegetables, “What about you?”

The conversation flowed easily all through dinner. Mickey learned Lip was in college to become a scumbag corporate attorney, meanwhile, Ian worked for a company that helps families learn how to support deaf family members. He also learned, to his shock, that the brothers were both south side.

“No way! We’re south side,” Mandy said helping clear the plates while Mickey served up his peach tart, “What’s your last name?”

“Gallagher,” Lip said forking into the tart.

“Sounds familiar. We’re Milkovitches,” Mickey said quizzically, “Didn’t our dad kick your dad’s ass?”

Lip chuckled, “A few times. Small world.”

Mickey would have thought this dinner would be stilted and awkward, what with Lip having to translate everything, but the brothers had obviously been doing this for a very long time. The only way it could have gone better was if Ian could communicate to them directly. He couldn’t imagine being stuck in a world, or even just a dinner party, where you couldn’t communicate with anyone without the help of your brother.

As their evening came to an end, Mandy disappeared with Lip, leaving him alone on the front porch with Ian as they said their goodnights. He turned to face Ian so he could read his lips.

“Do you have your notepad on you?’

Ian rolled his eyes with a smile, as if it was a stupid question and pulled it, and a pen from his back pocket giving it a little wave in the air.

“Good. Uh… I was wondering,” he started, running a nervous hand through his hair, “Does your company have sign language classes that I could enroll in?”

Ian’s smile nearly hit his ears as he started writing excitedly before spinning the pad around.

_Absolutely! In fact, we have a beginner’s course starting on Monday. I’ll be one of the instructors too. Do you want me to save you a spot?_

“Yes,” he said quickly, “I’d love that. It would be nice to talk to you without a pad of paper or your brother on standby.”

Ian just stared for a second, before he seemed to come back to himself and writing again.

_I’ll come by tomorrow evening with all the details. Is that cool?_

“Yeah! I’d like that,” he said with a smile, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then. Have a good night Ian.”

Ian gave a small wave as he walked across the grass to his own home.

Mickey stood on the porch breathing in the night air. Looking up at the stars, for the first time in a long while he felt like he was headed in the right direction. With one last deep breath, he went inside and shut the world away.

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I honestly wasn't expecting such a positive reception on my fluffy lil fic. Your comments have been the wind betwixt my ass lol. Seriously though, y'all are great. I love reading what you think.  
> I'm going to try to post a new chapter every Thursday, give or take a day or two.  
> I wanted to say that I am not deaf or hearing impaired, so my writing is based on my experiences with deaf family and friends. I didn't realize how difficult writing for Ian would be. Mickey's voice came so easily to me. Does that say something about what kind of person I am?  
> I also was wondering if it would be appropriate to have Ian teach Mickey his name sign, and if it would be appropriate for Ian to give Mickey a name sign. I don't quite know the social dynamic surrounding names and I don't want to end up pissing people off.  
> Also, tipping is a thing we do in the US because most companies do not pay their hardworking waitstaff nearly enough. No offence in intended if your country doesn't do this.  
> That said. On with the show!

The morning following the dinner party, Ian woke feeling better rested than he had in a while. As he cuddled down into his pillow, his mind replayed the events that followed the party. On the front porch of the Milcovich home, Ian found himself eager to interact with Mickey. Eager in a way he hasn’t felt in a long time. Although he has long since accepted his deafness, and is very happy with his life, it leaves a natural barrier between himself and the majority of the people he interacts with barring his family and his work. It has always made it difficult to meet new people. He found that, although it wasn’t exactly easy to talk with Mickey, it didn’t feel like a chore like it did with other people. Usually, taking out his notepad made him feel so other, made people uncomfortable. It had a habit of ending conversations before they began. Mickey, however, took it in stride. He spoke to Ian like he would anyone, albeit with a bit more flirting.

Normally, he would sit down to a leisurely breakfast with Lip before leaving for work, but his brother was nowhere to be found. Assuming Lip stayed in Mandy’s bed and would not be around, Ian had a bowl of cereal before rinsing out his bowl and making his way out the door. Looking over to the Milcovich home, he saw Mickey’s car still in the driveway. Struck by inspiration, he quickly pulled out his notepad and scrawled a short note, before running over and tucking it beneath the wiper blade.

_I’ll see you tonight._

_Have a nice day at work._

_-Ian_

He thought about putting his cell number at the bottom, but he felt like that may be too presumptuous. So he settled on a smiley face. That was safe but still mildly flirty. It was a last-second decision, and he hoped he wasn’t reading Mickey wrong, but he didn’t want to lose what could be a great thing someday because he was scared to put himself out there.

 

His day was booked solidly. First thing in the morning was his Beginners class for kids under 10 years old. Most of them would be moving up to the next course while he would tutor the few who needed more help before they moved on. Next he was to assist in the intermediate class for parents and families of hearing impaired individuals. The rest of the day would be one-on-one tutoring sessions, and paperwork.

 

During his lunch break, he stopped by Sheila Jackson’s office. Sheila was… unique. She was naïve, and, after a lot of work on her part, had a mild case of OCD. Through all her faults, she was fiercely loyal, charming, and sharp as a tack. She was also his hearing abled teaching partner. All classes for hearing people had both a deaf teacher, and a hearing teacher. Even though all of their teachers used ASL, the school board felt it would be beneficial to the students to pair them with a deaf teacher when available to provide a deaf person’s perspective to the learning environment. He had been paired with Sheila from the day she was hired, and he found that, through all her quirks, she was a great teacher and friend.

He gave a short knock on the open doorframe as he entered her empty classroom. Sheila looked up from her seat at her desk, paperwork spread across the surface. Raising her hands to speak, she welcomed him in with a smile.

_“Hey! We’re no scheduled for another class today are we?”_

_“Nope,”_ he signed, leaning against a table, _“I was actually hoping to get a copy of the introduction material for our adult beginner class Monday. I have a friend who will be joining us. It was a last minute thing and I’m out of intro packets.”_

_“Aww you made a friend? So sweet. I have one right here,”_ she signed before reaching into the bottom drawer of her desk producing a thick manila folder which she hands to him.

_“Thanks Sheila. I’ll add him to the system tomorrow. I’ve got to get some food before my next tutoring session,”_ he signed before bidding her farewell and proceeding to his office.

 

 

Pulling into his driveway that afternoon, Ian noticed Mickey’s car was next door and his heart rate picked up. Thankfully, he’d managed to keep his thoughts on his work, and off of a certain someone with piercing blue eyes. As he approached his door, he noticed a yellow sticky note on the front door. It read:

_Thanks for the well wishes._

_Made my day brighter._

_I’ll see you soon._

_-Mickey_

It ended with a smiley face with its tongue wagging out. He pulled it off with a grin before unlocking his door and entering his home. He was greeted by Lip lounging in the living room, wearing pajama pants and a ratty old t-shirt.

_“No work today,”_ he asked after dropping his keys and briefcase onto the catchall table by the door and joining Lip in the living room.

_“Nope,”_ Lip responded with a lecherous grin, leaning back with his hands behind his head,” _I had to take a sick day. I had a late night with Mandy. Three times.”_

_“Spare me the sweaty details,”_ he signed wrinkling his nose in disgust, “ _Are you going to see her again?”_

_“We have a date Saturday night.”_

_“That’s great. I hope it goes well. In the meantime, I’ve got to change my clothes and take some paperwork over to Mickey.”_

He stood and made his way to his bedroom before stripping down to his boxer-briefs. Ambling over to his dresser, he stuck Mickey’s note to the attached mirror with a smile before throwing open the door to his closet in search of something to wear. He wanted something nice without making it seem like this was intended as a date. He ended up in some nice jeans that were a hair too tight around his ass, a black undershirt, and a blue over shirt with the sleeves rolled up half way. He studied himself in the mirror before nearly jumping out of his skin seeing Lip’s reflection leaning against his doorframe. He turned.

_“Seriously! You know I hate when you do that!”_

_“Since when do you need fuck-me jeans to give the neighbor some paperwork,”_ Lip asked, ignoring his brother’s bitching.

_“They are not fuck-me jeans, and I’m just going over there to give him an intro packet and talk about ASL classes. He wants to enroll in my beginner’s course,”_ Ian informed his brother with a glare.

_“Really,”_ Lip replied, clearly not buying into his brother’s professional description of the evenings plans, _“Will there just  be a written test or will there be – you know- a more hands-on method applied?”_

Ian ignored his brother’s teasing as he brushed past him to the living room. After liberating the manila envelope from the confines of his briefcase, he put one hand on the door knob to leave and paused. Turning to Lip, who had followed him into the room, he lifted a questioning eyebrow.

_“Do you really think these are fuck-me jeans,”_ he asked, a grin spreading across his face. Lip rolled his eyes and smiled back.

_“I’d be shocked if you don’t catch him drooling and staring like a caveman,”_ his brother said with an encouraging smile, _“Knock him dead.”_

With one last smile, Ian closed the door behind himself, and marched across his yard with a renewed confidence. He hopped up the steps to the front porch and gave three quick knocks before he could think too much about it. After a short moment the door opened ant there stood Mickey. He was wearing sinfully tight jeans, a black button up t-shirt, and a big smile. He put up a hand in a stopping motion and straightened his spine- and began to fingerspell.

_“H-E-L-L-O I-A-M.”_

Ian was dumbstruck. This intimidating man with ‘FUCK U-UP’ tattooed on his fingers had taken the time to learn how to say hello to him. And mostly got it right. The mental image of Mickey sitting in front of his laptop copying the images from some website brought a dreamy smile to his face. He took out his pad ad wrote.

_Hello_

He then grabbed Mickey’s hand and touched it to his head and brought it up in a kind of salute, before pointing at the word on his notepad. He looked at Mickey pointedly until he saw understanding on his face. Grabbing Mickey’s hand again, he moved his fingers into the letters of his name, making sure to point out the earlier mistake. Grabbing his pad again, he wrote:

_You got the M and N mixed up. It’s an easy mistake._

_Also that was very sweet. Thank you!_

_Also:_

_“Hello Mickey,”_ he signed slowly for Mickey, for which he was graced with another shy smile.

“Come on in,” Mickey said aloud, beckoning him in. They sat side by side on the couch where Ian began pulling things out of the envelope and setting them on the table.

_This is your intro packet,_ he began writing, pointing to each Item, _You’ve got a work book, some worksheets for extra practice, a list of helpful websites that have great content for students and for learning about deaf culture, and our class itinerary. If you’re still interested in the class, I can add you to the schedule tomorrow._

Mickey nodded furiously.

“Yes, absolutely. When are the classes,” Mickey asked, skimming through the workbook.

_Since you have work during the day, I can put you in our late afternoon class. 4pm Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Classes are an hour long._

“That works,” Mickey said, nodding again, “Count me in.”

_Awesome._

Sensing the conversation coming to an end, Ian bit his lip and quickly wrote in his notepad before he could lose his nerve. He felt a blush crawl up his ears as he turned the pad for Mickey to read.

_Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight? Like, on a date?_

Ian wished he could look away in case he’d see rejection on Mickey’s face. Naturally, that was impossible since he had to read Mickey’s lips. Instead of rejection, however, Mickey’s face lit up with a childlike joy as he finished reading.

“Yeah! I’d love that,” he said, scooting closer to Ian, “Where do you want to go?”

Ian was sure his relief was obvious as he wrote with a shaking hand.

_There’s this awesome pizza joint not far from here. Sound good?_

“Sounds great,” Mickey said standing up and rubbing his hands together, “Let's go.”

 

During the short drive to the restaurant, he was amused watching Mickey try to keep his eyes on the road while turning his lips so Ian could read them. He waited until they were half way there before letting Mickey off the hook. The pizza joint was more of a hole-in-the-wall dive bar sandwiched between a Starbucks and a Greek restaurant. It was the type of place that only the locals would know about. It had low lights over each booth, records and old photographs up on the walls, and a long dark wood bar taking up one wall. Not the place you’d expect to find great pizza.

A waitress walked over as they took their seats at a booth and handed them menus.

“Hey boys! My name is Arlene, I’ll be your server tonight,” she said with a bright smile, “What can I get you to drink?”

They both ordered a beer and she strolled away leaving them to decide on a pizza.

“Straight up pepperoni,” Mickey proclaimed, slapping closed his menu without looking, “No pizza will ever be greater.”

_Not even if it had mushrooms,_ Ian wrote lifting an eyebrow. Mickey shook his head.

“Nope. I watched one of those nature shows once where this mushroom turns bugs into zombies,” he shuddered, “I haven’t been able to eat them since.”

_Well, I want mushrooms. I believe we are at an impasse._

Mickey met Ian’s smirk with one of his own.

“We’ll do half with mushrooms,” Mickey compromised, “You can have all the zombie fungus you want.”

Ian put a hand to his heart like he was accepting an award.

_Why thank you kind sir. I had no idea there were still noble men in this world. I assumed they were all brutes, burping and farting on the couch._

Mickey threw his head back in a full bellied laugh. Seeing how it changed his face so beautifully, Ian realized he would give a lot to hear Mickey’s laugh.

“I’m still Southside,” Mickey said with a glint in his eye, “burping and farting is practically a sport there. Don’t count me out quite yet.”

Ian covered his mouth, stifling a laugh as Arlene walked up, pad ready to write their order.

“Have you two decided on what you’d like?”

“We’re going to share a pepperoni pizza,” Mickey said giving Ian a wink, “Can you put mushrooms on half?”

“Of course,” she said, speaking as she wrote, “Pepperoni with mushrooms on half. Will that be all?”

At their affirmative, she went to place their order. As she left, Ian picked up his pad again.

_How’s your sister? I didn’t see her earlier._

“Yeah, she had an interview at this coffee shop on campus,” he said proudly, “I guess they wanted to start her on training videos right away.”

  _It makes sense,_ Ian nodded, _School is about to start up and college students exist solely on caffeine._

And so their dinner went. Conversation took them to their childhoods, both growing up Southside, but somehow never crossing paths. Ian talked about his family and their antics. Mickey gushed about his sister, and the trouble they would always get into.

_What about your parents,_ Ian asked, regretting it when Mickey’s face fell.

“My mom died when we were kids,” Mickey said, studying the tabletop, “and my dad is in prison last I heard.”

_I’m so sorry Mickey. I shouldn’t have pried,_ Ian wrote, reaching over and grasping Mickey’s hand.

“It’s ok,” Mickey said, slotting their fingers together, “You would’ve had to find out some day. Every family has its problems. Mine just happens to have more than most. The point is, I used those experiences to make myself a better man and carve out a better life for me and my sister.”

Ian was struck dumb for the second time that day. Mickey could easily have taken the darkness of his past and very easily followed in his father’s footsteps, landing himself in jail or worse. Instead, he found a way out and took his sister with him.

_I admire you Mickey,_ Ian wrote, squeezing his fingers, _you’re a good man._

“You know what,” Mickey started, looking pensive, “I think I am.”

After that, the mood stayed upbeat and jovial. The pizza came and went, while Ian stifled his laughter at the utterly blissful faces Mickey was making as he took his first bites. Far too soon, Arlene ambled over to place their check on the table, and watched bemusedly as the men scuffled over who would pay the bill. Ultimately, Ian was the victor as he practically threw his credit card at the chuckling waitress who went to close out the transaction.

_I asked you out, I’ll pay,_ Ian wrote with a smug face, _you’ll just have to get it next time._

“There’s going to be a next time,” Mickey asked hopefully.

_How should I know? You haven’t asked me out yet,_ Ian replied, grin spreading across his face.

“Will you go out with me again?”

_Yes. When?_

“Is Saturday too soon?”

_Not at all._

“Good,” Mickey said, rolling his eyes at their businesslike manner as Arlene returned, “It’s a date.”

“Thank you both for coming by this evening,” she said before lowering her voice, “I just wanted to tell you that you both are so cute together.”

“I’m leaving her a big tip,” Mickey said as they got up to leave, pulling some bills from his wallet. As they exited the building, Ian felt Mickey’s fingers slot between his. They walked like that, slowly strolling, savoring the time they had left before getting into Mickey’s car.

 

 

Back at home, Mickey walked him to his door, holding his hand up the walk. Stopping under the porch light, they turned to each other.

“I had a great time tonight,” Mickey said, “Believe it or not, I was planning on asking you out before you beat me too it. I wasn’t sure you’d say yes.”

_How could I not say yes,_ Ian wrote with a snort.

“Well, I know I’m rough around the edges and most people think I’m just some Southside thug,” Mickey said with a shrug.

_Well not me. I see a man with a sharp tongue and an attitude to mach, who has fought hard in life and would go to great lengths for the people he cares about._

With that, Ian leaned in and pressed his lips to Mickey’s. The kiss was like electricity rocketing through his veins. He wound his arms around Mickey’s waist as Mickey placed his hands on either side of his face, thumbs rubbing his jaw line. He felt Mickey’s tongue seeking entrance and he parted his lips without hesitation. They stood there, under Ian’s porch light, making out like teenagers for what felt like hours compressed into a few short minutes. All too soon, they broke apart smiling. Ian started rifling through Mickey’s pockets before he finally found his phone. After handing it to Mickey to unlock, Ian programmed his phone number into it before stepping close to Mickey and sapping a quick selfie to program as his contact picture. With that, he handed Mickey his phone, placed one last kiss on his lips and let himself in, leaving Mickey on the porch wearing a dopey smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Here be smut. It's my first sex scene so I hope it goes well.

Mickey was nervous. Like, really nervous. When he invited Ian out for a second date, he didn’t actually have a plan for what he wanted to do. After wracking his brains for hours, the only things he came up with were boring, and had been done a thousand times. He wanted to do something unique, and memorable to show Ian that he made some effort. So he did something he never, ever, thought he’d do.

“I need to talk about boys,” he told Mandy without preamble, after she answered his knock on his bedroom door.

Her reaction was to immediately hit the floor, hooting like a howler monkey. He gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes as he strode past his laughing sister to sit on her bed. He was thinking of pulling out his phone to scroll through Facebook when she finally rolled onto her back to catch her breath.

“Oh god, I think I’m gonna puke,” she gasped through her residual giggles.

“I’m so happy my relationship problems amuse you,” he fired off with a glare while hugging her pillow to his chest.

“Oh come on,” she started jovially, rolling onto her stomach, “what did you and your gaping asshole expect? You came to me for dating advice. This is a momentous occasion!”

“Spare me the dramatics Rachael Berry,” he said, throwing the pillow at his sister, “Will you help me or not?”

After catching the pillow and stuffing it under her chin, he pondered him for a second. Seeming to come to some kind of conclusion, her face softened.

“What do you need help with,” she asked finally, sitting up cross-legged on the floor.

Mickey took a deep breath, steeling himself for more humiliation, “I’m taking Ian on our second date Saturday, and I have no idea what to do with him.”

“Aww that’s so sweet,” she said hugging the pillow to her chest. At her brother’s warning glare, she got back on track,”What kind of feel are we going for here?”

“I want it to be fun and unique,” he said, avoiding her eye, “Something that will make him think of me when he looks back on it.”

“Well there’s your answer dumbass. Show him different parts of yourself. Show him things you’re passionate about. Show him the soft and squishy parts of you that you like to pretend don’t exist.”

He sat there for a second before ideas started flooding in. It was like sitting down and starting the drawings for a new building. He would stare at the paper for a second and start doodling, and before he knew what happened, there would be the concept art for a new building. He leapt from the bed and pulled his sister into a hug.

“Thanks for the help little sister,” he said fondly, before striding out of the room with his middle finger in the air, “See ya later Snailtrail!”

He had some phone calls to make.

 

 

He had been texting Ian seemingly non-stop since their date Wednesday. It started off with morning well wishes on his way to the office Thursday, and snowballed from there. It was usually just random thoughts or funny anecdotes that managed to evolved into full blown conversations. It always made him smile when he saw his phone light up with a new message, showing that dumb selfie Ian took.

Saturday morning found Mickey waist deep in the oven. Mickey was to pick Ian up that afternoon and he was getting antsy. Mandy was away at the coffee shop. Apparently, the interview went well and they wanted to start her training immediately. So without any other way to keep his mind busy, he found himself in a mask and rubber gloves, cleaning house.

So he scrubbed, and dusted, and wiped, and mopped everything he could think of that might need it. He was pretty sure he looked like a housewife’s wet dream on his hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor, but it made his morning fly by, and it was soon time to get ready for his date.

After a quick shower, he dressed mostly casually in some jeans and a pale green button-down with the sleeves rolled up. He applied some hair goop, and spritzed himself with cologne before he deemed himself ready to go.

He made his way across the lawn to the Gallagher home and rapped smartly on the door. After a moment, Lip opened the door.

“Hey Mickey,” Lip greeted, stepping aside to usher him into the home, “Ian’s gonna be a minute. He’s been changing his outfit every two minutes like the stereotype he is.”

“That’s cool,” he chuckled, warmth spreading through his body knowing Ian had been looking forward to seeing him, “I hope he doesn’t come out here in anything fancy. I told him casual would be fine.”

“I haven’t known you very long,” Lip started, giving him a slap on the shoulder, “but that might have been the gayest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“Well it’s a good thing you weren’t around the other day when I had to ask Mandy for advice.”

“Speaking of Mandy,” Lip said, too casually, “is she around today?”

“She’s got work until four. After that, I have no idea,” Mickey said as Ian came into view from the hallway looking pleased to see Mickey.

He’d dressed down, just like he’d been told, in a Henley, well-faded jeans and some work boots. Mickey’s fingers were itching to touch Ian everywhere he could reach, but he reigned himself in and settled for a hug instead.

“Ready to go,” he asked, pulling back so Ian could read his lips.

At Ian’s vigorous nod, he chuckled and said, “Good, cause we have a long afternoon planned.”

With a wave to Lip, they were on their way.

 

 

When Mickey was planning the activities for their date, he knew right away that he had to show Ian things that were near and dear to his heart. The problem was that opening himself up like that was difficult, and even kinda frightening. What was puzzling him, though, was that he actually wanted to open up to Ian. He wanted Ian to learn about the parts of his life that he didn’t even talk to Mandy about. It wouldn’t happen overnight, but Mickey was excited about the thought of letting someone in. It was a new feeling for him, and he liked it.

Their first stop took them to the south side. Not exactly his old stomping grounds, but in the area. It was an old building that got a new lease on life. He knew this because it was the first project he got to design himself. As soon as he’d laid eyes on the old, abandoned home, he knew he could do great things with it. The building was, at one point one of the largest homes in the south side, but had been long since abandoned and left to rot and fall into disrepair at the hands of the elements. Mickey had taken this broken down husk, and breathed new life into it.

Once they pulled up to the building and parked, Mickey reached into the back seat for the tote bag he’d stashed there before exiting the car. Ian had a questioning expression on his face as he closed the passenger side door and pulled out his note pad.

_What is this place?_

“This is the first building I ever got to work on using my own designs,” he said as they made their way up the walk, “It’s a place that I put a lot of love into. I thought it would be nice to show you why I do what I do.”

Ian smiled as Mickey opened the door and ushered him inside. Mickey watched Ian’s face as he took everything in. While the outside looked like any large home, the inside was decidedly more businesslike. He wanted to give the interior a feel of being welcomed into someone’s home, while the entryway and layout showed this was a place of business too.

“Mickey!”

He turned just as a small blur launched itself into his arms. He caught the child on instinct before pulling her into a big hug.

“Hey short stack! How’ve you been,” he asked turning to face Ian, “I want you to meet Julie. She’s got fire in her veins, and always kicks my ass at poker.”

Ian smiled and waved at the little girl who chose that moment to be shy.

“Julie, Ian is a special friend of mine. He can’t hear, but he can read lips if you want to say hi. You just have to face him so he can see your beautiful smile,” he said giving the girl a tickle.

“Hi Ian,” she said with a shy smile before giggling and running off.

_She’s a sweet girl. What is this place?_ Ian wrote after waggling his fingers at the retreating girl.

“It’s called The Spot. It’s like an after school program for sick kids,” Mickey explained, “It’s a place where parents can take their kids to socialize and be around other kids with similar problems. That way, they know they’re not alone.”

Ian just stared at him with this watery smile before writing on his pad.

_You must be very proud to have been a part of this._

“I am. Very much so,” he replied as his favorite nurse walked around the corner, “Charlie! How’ve you been?”

She pulled him into a crushing hug before pulling back and slapping him on the back of the head.

“Ow! What the fuck was that for,” he asked rubbing his head.

“That was for not telling anyone you were going to drop off the face of the earth for weeks,” she said before turning to a grinning Ian with a smile, “Hi I’m Charlie. I’m the head nurse here at The Spot.”

_Ian_ , he wrote on his pad, _I’m dating Mickey. I’m deaf. Just so there’s no confusion._

“ _Dating Mickey? You’re clearly too good for his grouchy ass,”_ she said with a grin, signing expertly as she spoke, “ _I’m assuming you two are here for story time?”_

“Yup,” Mickey said, pulling out a few books from his bag, “Got a few here for them.”

_“Great! The kids have missed you,”_ Charlie said before addressing Ian _, “He used to come by every week to read to the kids, but he’s been MIA for the past couple weeks.”_

“I was moving! Fuck sakes no respect,” Mickey said, moving into the adjacent room where the children were sitting in a semi circle around the chair he would be sitting at.

“Hey kids,” he said excitedly, taking his seat as Charlie signed for him and they all chorused ‘Hi Mickey’ at him, “Sorry I’ve been gone for a while, but to make it up to you, I brought a very special friend of mine to read with us today. His name’s Ian. Can you all say hi to him?”

“HI IAN,” they all said loudly.

“Now, there is something special about Ian,” he said as Ian waved to the kids, “He’s deaf. Does anyone know what that means?”

Jenna, a little girl with blonde pigtails stood up and said, “It means he can’t hear, like Micah and Sarah.”

“Exactly. Now, Ian can read your lips when you talk, but another way to talk to him is by using sign language like Charlie does during our story time for Micah and Sarah,” he turns to Ian, “Would you demonstrate how to say ‘Hi’ in sign language?”

Ian does that little half salute with a smile before Mickey continues, “Easy right? Everyone give it a try?”

As everyone began signing ‘Hi’ to Ian, Mickey pulled out his first book.

“This book is one of my favorites. My mother used to read it to me before she passed, and It’s been on my bookshelf ever since,” he held it up for everyone to see, noting Ian sitting down next to Sarah, “It’s called Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.”

As he read his favorite poems from the worn pages, he was brought back to his childhood home, sitting in his mother’s lap as she read to him before bedtime. He remembered how soft her jet black hair was, and how the cadence of her voice mixed with her Ukrainian accent always put his at ease no matter what shit his father pulled that day. He felt his voice mimicking hers as the familiarity washed over him and he knew that she would always be with him within the pages of his favorite book.

As he finished up his reading, Mickey looked up to see Ian with Sarah in his lap as they let the story take them away. Mickey couldn’t help but think Ian looked amazing with a kid in his arms. He shook the thought away as he stood up to announce the beginning of playtime. The kids scrambled to all corners of the room to gather their toys and such and Mickey had to dodge a little girl who was charging like a linebacker to get to the dinosaurs first. Ian stood as Mickey made his way over and pulled him into a hug before Sarah latched onto his hand to drag him to the stuffed animals. Mickey watched them for a moment as they played, before Julie marched up to him, brandishing a book, demanding he help her read it.

As the sky started to dim, they found themselves walking hand in hand, just enjoying the walk as Mickey led Ian to their next stop. They left the car at The Spot, as Mickey assured Ian they were only going a few blocks away. They walked the distance in a comfortable silence, neither feeling the need to write or talk. It was as they approached a familiar baseball field that Ian pulled out his pad.

_We’re playing baseball?_ Ian wrote with a dubious look?

“Nope,” Mickey said with a grin, turning and climbing the fence, dragging his bag with him, and dropping down the other side,” Come on. Up and over.”

Ian rolled his eyes with a smile before following suit. Once on the other side, Mickey took the redhead by the hand and led him to the center of the field before pulling a blanket and Coleman lantern out of his bag. He lit the lantern and set it aside while he spread out the blanket and pulled Ian down to sit with him. Finally he pulled out two homemade sub sandwiches and two bottles of coke.

“It’s not fancy or anything,” he said blushing, “but I figured dinner under the stars was a nice way to end the day.”

Ian smiled, writing in his pad, _it’s perfect. Who knew you were a hopeless romantic?_

“Am not. Shut up,” Mickey grumbled before Ian reached over and pulled him into a soft kiss. His lips were just as soft as he remembered. The lightning feeling ran through him just like the first time.

_Perfect,_ he thought to himself as they pulled apart and ate their sandwiches.

After eating, they lay down on their sides facing each other, chatting about everything and nothing.

“Were you born deaf,” Mickey asked, unsure if it was a touchy subject.

Ian sighed and shook his head before writing.

_No. I was in a car accident when I was 14. My mom was always in and out of my life. She was a drug addict who struggled with mental illness. One day, she rolled back into town saying she wanted to spend some time with her kids. She decided we should go shopping for some clothes that would make the boys drool. Well, it turns out she went off her meds again and was on something else again. She lost control of the car and we wrecked. I woke up in the hospital unable to hear. It was scary. I could feel myself talking, making noise, but my ears just didn’t work anymore. My mother managed to climb from the car uninjured and took off before the police could show up. I haven’t seen her since._

Mickey closed his eyes, trying to chase away the sadness and anger that came unbidden at reading what had happened to Ian. He felt Ian’s hand rest on his face and he opened his eyes. Ian had written again.

_What happened to me sucks, and I will never forgive Monica for what she did, but I wouldn’t change what happened. I wouldn’t be who I am today._

“You’re an amazing man Ian Gallagher,” Mickey sighed placing his hand over Ian’s as he was pulled into another kiss. It started off slow and gentle, lips and tongues caressing each other, learning each other. Ian’s hands wound around his waist and dragged the dark haired man to lie on top of him, never breaking their connection.

Mickey sighed into Ian's mouth as the redhead dragged his hands down his back to grip at his ass. Mickey gave an involuntary thrust of his hips, grinding them into Ian’s bringing a loud groan from the other man’s mouth that made him stop in his tracks. It was the first time Ian had ever vocalized anything to him. Ian was always very careful not to use his voice.  It made something heat up inside him that he could make Ian lose that careful control.

Ian looked up at him, a question clear on his face.

“Ian, I need you inside me,” Mickey said staring down into Ian’s eyes, straddling his hips.

Ian nodded and sat up, pulling Mickey into a heated kiss, pulling at the buttons of his shirt. Mickey yanked it over his head, not having time for buttons, before untucking Ian’s Henley and pulling it off as well. Mickey ran his hands over Ian’s chest. He knew Ian was fit, but he didn’t realize how ripped he was. Ian groaned again as Mickey gave his nipples a tweak, before rolling Mickey onto his back and kissing him fiercely. Ian’s hands were everywhere, as if they were memorizing every contour of his pale skin. Mickey spread his legs so Ian could settle between them and grind his hard length into Mickey’s. Mickey was on fire everywhere Ian touched, and he needed more. He worked his hands down Ian’s abs before tucking them into the front of his jeans to work open the button and zipper. He could feel Ian’s cock rub the back of his fingers and he groaned in anticipation.

It was then that Ian seemed to lose patience.  He sat up pulling off his shoes and pants leaving him in nothing but his smile, before doing the same for Mickey.  When Ian leaned back down and pressed their naked flesh together, Mickey knew he would crave this forever. They kissed again, sliding their hard lengths together, precum slicking across their bellies.

“I need you to get on me Gallagher,” Mickey gasped, pulling back so Ian could see him, “I’m not gonna last.”

Ian leaned away and dug through the pockets of his jeans producing a condom and a packet of lube with a cheeky grin. Mickey laughed and kissed him before laying back and spreading himself wide for Ian. He could see the fire Ignite in Ian’s eyes as he opened the lube and spread it on his fingers. He reached down and slowly circled his hole, eyes never leaving Mickey’s, as if he wanted to memorize his face at first contact. Mickey sighed as he felt his muscles relax, and his breath hitched as Ian eased a finger in. Ian let Mickey adjust to the intrusion before working his finger in and out. He made sure to avoid Mickey’s prostate which drove the dark haired man mental.

As he relaxed around the first digit, Ian applied more lube before slowly introducing a second one. Mickey’s forehead wrinkled at the stretch and he moaned wantonly as Ian finally rubbed his prostate.  Ian scissored his fingers wide as he thrust them in and out, getting him ready before adding a third finger.

Mickey could see the evidence of how much Ian wanted him standing proudly between the other man’s legs. Mickey was glad for the third finger because Ian’s dick was not small. It wasn’t even average. At least 9 inches of thick cock were about to work their way inside him and he would feel every inch. Ian pulled his fingers out and used more the last of the lube to slick himself up as he positioned himself between Mickey’s legs. Mickey took a deep breath and forced himself to relax as he felt the head press against his hole and breached him. He had never felt so full in his life. Ian stopped and let Mickey adjust to him before continuing at Mickey’s urging.

Mickey sighed as he finally felt Ian’s hips press against his ass cheeks. He looked up at Ian as he settled his forearms onto the blanket on either side of Mickey’s head. Ian leaned down to kiss Mickey as he slowly pulled out almost all the way followed by a slow thrust in. Mickey groaned and wrapped his arms around Ian, digging his fingers into Ian’s shoulders urging him to go harder. Mickey bent his knees and gripped them to Ian’s ribs and held on for dear life as the redhead took him at his word and picked up the pace. Ian groaned deeply as he thrust into Mickey’s tight heat, arching when the man scratched down his back.

Mickey could feel the heat building low in his belly, and knew he was almost there. Ian seemed to know right where his prostate was and hit it every time with precision aim. Ian’s thrusts started to become erratic, and he leaned down and sunk his teeth into Mickey’s shoulder and that was all that was needed to send Mickey screaming over the edge, painting the both of them with his cum as he felt Ian’s cock pulsate inside him. Ian collapsed on top of him, still inside him, and he welcomed the weight, wrapping his arms securely around the man, carding his fingers through his red hair.

It wasn’t until he heard a distant car horn, that he remembered they were fully naked, buttfucking in the middle of a baseball field. They laughed as they scrambled into their clothes and gathered their items before climbing the fence and booking it back to the car.

 

 

 

It was as Ian curled around his back that night that Mickey allowed himself to think about how right this felt. Under the covers with Ian spooned around him he felt protected. He didn’t love Ian, it was much too soon for that, but even he could feel the potential for it rising from deep inside himself. From his place, wrapped in Ian’s arms he felt safe for the first time in years. That was a place where he never thought he’d be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, I'm planning a time jump for the next chapter. Also things are getting too fluffy around this place so I think I'm gonna have to stir the pot.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the Thanksgiving holiday looming, my week leading up to Thursday will be very busy. Thus, I'm leaving you with a sweet, fluffy, smutty little chapter before disappearing for a week. I apologize, as I know I might have some readers who are from other countries, or otherwise don't celebrate this holiday but my family does. I'm very thankful for all the support so many of you have given me on this fic that ended up a lot longer than planned. I'll be back with another chapter in two weeks time. in the meantime, happy reading, and Happy Holidays!  
> P.S.  
> From here on out, just assume all conversation involving Ian is done using ASL unless otherwise stated.

Mickey had never woken up next to someone he cared about before. Hell, up until he met Ian, he’d never wanted to fall asleep with someone before. The thought of allowing himself to be so vulnerable with someone he didn’t trust, nor planned to see after the orgasm wore off, just didn’t sit well with him. He’d found it was easy with Ian though. When Ian would wrap himself around Mickey’s back, post orgasm, still panting and glistening with sweat, the world would drop away. It was as if the only thing that mattered was the feel of his boyfriend wrapped around him. Mickey felt like nothing could ever harm him while Ian held him. He felt truly safe. It was a first for Mickey.

Their relationship was a long series of firsts for Mickey.

Ian was the reason he got a pet for the first time in his life. A carnival had rolled into town, and Ian insisted they go. The air carried the scent of funnel cakes and fallen autumn leaves. The joyous squeels of children and the chatter of the crowd assaulted his ears, making him almost envious of the fact that Ian could not hear it. Ian had towed him by the hand through the crowd, pointing out fun things here and there.

They did all of the clichés: they made funny poses in the funhouse mirrors (even though mickey thought the clowns were creepy), they ate way too much fried food, they made out on the ferris wheel, Mickey tried (and failed) to impress Ian at the test your strength game but redeemed himself at the sharpshooter game. It was nearing closing time, and they were on their way out, when Ian spotted ring toss and he just had to give it a try. After several attempts, and several dollars, Ian finally managed to win his prize of a little purple Betta fish. Despite Mickey’s complaining, Ian insisted the fish stay with Mickey as a symbol of his manly prowess. Then, Ian drug him to the nearest Petsmart, where he bought a tank, and everything needed to create a happy home for an unwanted fish in Mickey’s house. That was how Charles the Betta found a home in the Milkovich livingroom. Ian tried to insist that Charles needed a family, and even though Mickey held his ground, he knew Ian would eventually break down his resolve.

Ian was responsible for Mickey discovering he liked to cuddle. For a man who had to use his hands to talk, ian was very tactile. He would always have his hands busy tangling in Ickey’s shirt or running through his hair, or wrapping around his waist. Mickey had never really felt the urge to touch another person like he had with Ian. A movie on the couch together always ended up with Mickey laying on top of Ian, between his legs, with his head pillowed on his chest. He’d found the position to be his favorite as the sound of Ian’s heartbeat soothed something inside him.  Whenever they slept over with each other, Mickey quickly found that Ian’s presence made him sleep deeper than he had in years.

Another first for Mickey, had been when he realized there were many things that appeared in his room that did not belong to him, and it didn’t annoy him in the slightest. Everywhere he looked, there were touches of Ian. From the few items of clothing in his closet and dresser mixed with his, to the spare set of medications in his bedside drawer. There was even a special alarm clock Mickey bought after Ian missed an early meeting at work because he didn’t wake up on time. Using it had taken some getting used to for Mickey. It looked like most alarm clocks except it had a long wire coming out of it that attached to a disc that slipped under his pillow that would give a bowerful vibration when the alarm went off. Mickey thought he would hat it but he actually liked it better than his own alarm clock. Ian’s smile when he first saw it pearched on the bedside table made Mickey’s insides feel gooey.

The first time he heard Ians voice was during sex. He’d known that Ian went deaf as a teen so he knew Ian could talk to some degree. He’d learned that Ian felt selfconcious about speaking out loud, because he’d been made fun of in school due to his voice sounding different since he couldn’t hear it. So Ian never talked. Mickey learned, however, that once Ian became more comfortable with him, he became a screamer. Mickey was balls deep in Ian’s cock, when the redhead let out a deep, guttural moan that, Mickey would later find out gleefully, caused Mandy to jerk awake in her bed and promptly crash to the floor. He loved the sounds Ian made for him and he wouldn’t ever put a stop to them no matter how much mandy complained.

The first time he had heard Ian laugh, also happened during sex. It was a Sunday afternoon and Mickey had the house to himself, so naturally, he invited Ian over. They were sitting cross legged on Mickey’s bed going over some excersizes for hiss ASL class the following evening. Mickey had come a long way in the months they’d been together. With the classes combined with Ian’s presence, and sheer stubborn willpower, Mickey didn’t need ian to use the notepad anymore. Sure he wasn’t the best at the new language, he still got lost sometimes, and Ian loved to correct him when he got something wrong, but he felt closer with Ian now that he could speak directly with him.

Ian had gotten the idea from watching Billy Madison, that every time he got an exxercize right, Ian would remove some clothing. The problem with this idea was that once clothes started coming off, Ian had a habit of losing all self control. This afternoon was no different, Mickey found, because as soon as Ian was down to only his pants and underwear, he pushed Mickey over, slotted himself between the brunet’s legs and proceeded to try to eat Mickey tongue first. Not that Mickey was complainining. Ian’s hands were everywhere as he ground his hips into Mickey’s causing him to break the kiss and trow his head back with a moan. Ian used this chance to slide Mickey’s shirt up and over his head before throwing it to the floor and latching his mouth onto a pink nipple. Mickey moaned and clutched one hand to ians hair, and the other to his back, pulling him closer. Ian nibbled and lathed at Mickey’s sensitive nipples, getting them nice and red before kissing his way down the soft, pale skin if Mickey’s chest. He kissed across Mickey’s abs and down his happy trail,briefly swirling his tongue into his bellybutton as he reached up to undo Mickey’s pants. When his lips met the waistband of Mickey’s underwear, he briefly dipped his tongue beneath the elastic before he leaned back to help remove the garments. Laying there naked beneath Ian, Mickey felt the heat of his gaze on his skin as Ian took in the sight spread out before him. Mickey had never felt sexier than when Ian looked at him like that.

 When Mickey couldn’t help himself any more, he reached up to stroke his hands across the pale plains of Ian’s chest. He ran his hands through the light dusting of red hair on Ian’s chest and gave his nipples a playful tweak, illiciting a loud groan from the redhead. He trailed his hands down through the hair on his abs before finally reaching the waistband of Ian’s jeans. He quickly undid the button and fly before dragging them and his underwear down for Ian to kick off. Never breaking eye contact, Ian lowered his mouth onto Mickey’s cock, not stopping until he hit the root. Mickey moaned at the sensation and carded his fingers through Ian’s red hair. Ian worked his mouth into a rhythm stroking his fingers down Mickey’s shaft before comtinuing on to his balls and finally stroking across his hole. Mickey brought his knees up, reveling in the dual sensation. Just when Mickey was about to cum, Ian pulled back and clamped his fingers around the base of his cock, stopping his orgasm before it could even begin.

When he was sure Mickey was down from the clouds, Ian leaned over to pull the lube and a condom from the bedside table. Tossing the condom onto the pillow, Ian made quick work of coating his fingers before he reached down and circled Mickey’s hole. Mickey’s breath caught as one of Ian’s fingers slowly pushed into him. Ian continued stretching Mickey until the man was writhing and fucking himself on three of his fingers planted deep in his ass. Catching Mickey’s eye, Ian lifted his free hand.

“ _I want you to ride me.”_

Nodding vigorously, Mickey scrambled up to switch places with ian. He threw a leg across his boyfriend’s hip before reaching back to line himself up. When he felt the blunt head press against his entrance, he lowered himself slowly onto Ian’s impressive length, not stopping until he pressed his ass to ian’s hips. He breathed deeply, giving himself a moment to adjust to the fullness, before looking Ian in the eye, planting his hands onto his chest, and slowly rocking back and forth. Mickey grinned as ian gave a loud moan before picking up a bit of speed. Ian bent his knees and planted his feet flat on the bed, giving himself the base he needed to thrust hard up into Mickey causing the shorter man’s moans to ratchet higher in pitch in a way he will deny until the day he dies. Ian’ sped up his thrusts causing Mickey to drag his nails down Ian’s chest, neither caring about the marks that would assuredly be left behind. Mickey grunted Ian’s name as he felt the heat start to build low in his belly, and he knew it would not be long.

“I’m not looking! I’m not looking,” Mandy called as she threw open the bedroom door, one hand cupping her eyes as she made her way to his closet.

“Mandy,” Mickey exclaimed as he scrambled to cover them with a sheet, his shock causing him to clamp tight around the now frozen redhead, ripping a loud moan from his throat, “get the fuck out you perv!”

“I just need to borrow that navy sweater of yours,” she said digging through his closet, ignoring her brother’s protests as well as the redhead failing to keep quiet, “Lip is taking me to the lake and I want to bundle up.”

“You have a closet full of clothes but you felt it was a good idea to barge in here while I have a dick in my ass?”

“I look cute in that sweater,” she said before making a triumphant noise and emerging with her eyes covered once again, making her way back to the door, “it brings out the color in my eyes.”

“Well fuck all the way off,” He yelled as she slammed the door shut, before he returned his focus to the man whose dick in miraculously still hard and is currently trying not to laugh, “ you shut the fuck up.”

Ian’s hands clamped onto his hips, preventing mickey from pulling away before opening his mouth and releasing all the pent up laughter that had reached it’s boiling point. At the sound, mickey stopped pulling away and just watched for a second before laughter was begrudgingly pulled from his mouth as well. The laughter ebbed away as Ian began to thrust again. The heat that had fled at the intrusion, returned in full force. Before long, the dam broke and Mickey clamped down onto ian’s cock as he came shaking with the force, painting Ian from belly to chin in his cum. With a final, hard, thrust that nearly sent Mickey crashing into the wall above the headboard, Ian gave a funal groan as he emptied himself into the condom.

That also marked the first time Mickey well and truly passed out from an orgasm. Not that he would ever admit it. He didn’t wake when Ian pulled away with a fond chuckle, or when Ian cleaned him up with a towel before spooning him from behind and pulling the covers over them. He did briefly wake up, hours later, with his head on Ian’s chest, listening to his heartbeat, and the only thought he had before falling back to sleep was another first for Mickey: _I love this man._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I'm sorry for the delay. I had a bit of drama for the holiday.  
> Second, this is a bit of a time jump. I'd say the boys have been together about 7 moths total. Also, you should assume that, from here on out, any convorsation involving Ian will be signed as well as spoken aloud (I'll show that by using Italics).  
> Third, I don't know anything about zoning laws, lawyers, or any other legal practices, so take it all with a grain of salt.  
> Fourth, this chapter features mild talk of past abuse. Just some passing comments, so nothing detailed really. Just a warning.  
> Finally, with the coming holiday season I'll be getting a bit busy so my posting schedule may get weird. I'll do my best to stick to posting once a week but please know I may miss a post. After the holidays, things wont be so hectic. I'm loving all of your comments! I don't always have time to reply, but I read each and every one of them. Keep them coming.  
> With that out of the way, on with the show!

Mickey’s day had been shit.

There was really no other way to say it. It started off well enough. He woke up warm in Ian’s bed, wrapped up in Ian’s octopus-like limbs, feeling pleasantly sore from their activities the night before. They went through their morning routines and parted with a kiss before Mickey made his way across the lawn to his car. The drive to work was no worse than any other morning. Traffic was moving along sluggishly like every morning, as if the day itself needed another cup of coffee before things would start to run a bit smoother.

Things at work had finally begun to make some headway. Their team had interviewed several well deserving families, and had settled on who would be the first recipient of a home. The recipient was a single mother of two children. She had been abused by her ex husband. After he tried to kill her, she had him arrested and depleted all her savings paying lawyers and court fees so she could get a divorce and take full custody of her children. They now live in a cheap motel while she works two jobs to make sure her children are provided for. They deserved this home.

 Once all the legal stuff had been taken care of, the company had taken ownership of an old house, long since abandoned and left to succumb to the elements, that would eventually become this family’s new home.  This was the day demolition should have begun on the house; Mickey was on-site overseeing the operation. He was just getting his team going when they were halted by a man and his lawyer. It turns out, the man was a well off home owner in the neighborhood. He’d heard about the program Mickey’s firm was running and became concerned about the ‘riff-raff’ that was going to be moving in to the home. So he’d called his lawyer who called the city. The city had decided to put a hold on their work so they could review the permits as well as the building plans and potential historical value of the home. All of that translated to them tying Mickey’s team up in red tape while they looked for anything they could to permanently stop construction. So his boss sent everyone home early while the legal team sorted everything out and put the fear of god into that rich asshole.

It was only noon by the time he walked into his front door with a heaving sigh. He made his way to the kitchen, removing his work boots along the way, and tossed his keys onto the countertop before opening the fridge in search of a soda and some food. He settled on the leftover lasagna from the night before and pulled the container from the fridge. After cutting a huge piece and placing it in the microwave, he made his way to his room to strip off his jeans and flannel he’d worn to the worksite, replacing them with some sweats and a soft t-shirt he was sure belonged to Ian. The smell of melted cheese and tomato sauce and ding of the microwave drew him back to the kitchen where he gathered his items and moved to the living room to plop onto the couch. Forgoing bullshit daytime TV, he turned on Netflix and set it to play the latest season of Supernatural, before shoveling lasagna into his face.

He was only halfway through the first episode when there was a knock at the door. With a put upon sigh, he paused the show and made his way to the door. On his porch, was a smartly dressed Asian woman carrying a briefcase.

“Hello sir,” she said holding her hand out to shake,”Would you happen to be Mr. Mikhailo Milcovich?”

“Call me Mickey,” he said, giving her hand a shake, “What is this about Ms…?”

“Sturgess. Brittany Sturgess, DCFS,” she said with a polite smile, “I have an important matter I need to discuss with you. May I come in?”

“Uh, sure,” he said stepping aside, making room for her to enter. He directed her into the living room where she sat, placing her briefcase onto the coffee table and popping it open.

“So, to begin with, what is your relationship to one Svetlana Fisher?”

He froze. He’d honestly thought he’d never hear from her again. She was the hooker his father had used to try to fuck the gay out of him. Clearly it hadn’t worked but they stayed in contact for a while. They even had a drunken fuck before he’d moved to his current home. He hadn’t heard from her since, and assumed she had moved on with her life. Or died. Her line of work was dangerous.

“She’s an old acquaintance of my father,” he said cagily, “Kind of a family friend. Why?”

“I’m sorry to have to inform you of this, Mr. Milcovich, but Ms. Fisher has passed away.”

The news didn’t shock him, but he didn’t expect the tickle of sadness behind his eyes that threatened to spill over. They weren’t exactly close. More victims of circumstance, brought together by the cruelty of his father. Forever tied together by their shared abuse. Gathering his wits about him, he cleared his throat, not trusting himself to speak clearly.

“What- uh, how’d it happen?”

“Actually, that’s why I’m here,” the social worker began, shifting her weight uncomfortably, “Ms. Fisher died in childbirth three days ago. It seems she had a birth defect that didn’t present itself until mid pregnancy. Her condition predicted a thirty percent chance of her death if she carried to full term. According to her file, she made it clear that the baby meant more to her than her life, and decided to carry to term despite the risks.”

“That sounds like her,” he said with a wet chuckle, “I always thought she’d make a great mom. Did the baby make it?”

“Yes. He’s very healthy, and, so far as can be tested at this age, he lacks any birth defects,” she said with a small smile before sobering up, “There is one more thing.”

“What? Is his deadbeat father not stepping up or something?”

“Well,” she started, seeming to prepare to rip the bandaid off all at once, “In her will, Ms. Fisher named you as the father.”

All at once, the blood rushed to his head and the room started to spin. He could hear his pulse pounding in his ears, and he was sure the lady was still talking but he couldn’t seem to focus on her. He felt his head being forced between his knees and had a fleeting thought of how much Ian loved his flexibility, before he felt his breaths become slower and deeper as the rush started to recede.

“Are you alright Mr. Milcovich?”

He sat up taking a few deep breaths, nodding his head.

“Are we ok to continue?”

“You’re telling me that I have a kid out there somewhere that I had no Idea existed? I thought that only happened in movies,” he said, ignoring her question.

“It’s a lot more common than most people seem to think,” she said with a shake to her head, “In cases like this, we prefer to keep children with their surviving biological parent, if at all possible. I’d like to know if you would like to take custody of the child.”

“Of course I do,” he said immediately, no thought necessary, “He’s my kid, and he needs his family.”

“That’s wonderful to hear Mr. Milcovich,” the social worker said with a bright smile, “Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, there are some steps to take. I can’t just hand you a child and call it good you see?”

He nods as she continues.

“We’ll need to do an inspection of the home, and I’ll need a DNA sample for paternity testing, both of which I can take care of today. I’ll need to do a background check of all residences in the home, and I’ll need permission to check for proof of income. It’ll all take about a week to process. If it all goes well, you’ll have your baby then.”

“Do you, uh, have a picture of him,” Mickey said, trying not to get overwhelmed again. Brittany pulled a file from her case and flipped it open, pulling a photograph from the paperclip on the front, closing it again before handing the photo over.

Mickey took the photo with a shaking hand and looked down at the image. The baby had that squished old man look to him that all newborns have, but even so, Mickey thought he was the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on. He had a shock of blonde hair, but aside from that, the boy was all Milcovich with his pale skin, and bright blue eyes. Mickey had no doubt this was his kid.

“His name is Yevgeny. You can keep that photo by the way,” Brittany said, pulling a large stack of papers and a small package from her case, “Let’s get this paperwork filled out so I can do the home inspection.”

The paperwork was nothing but pages and pages of legal terminology that he didn’t really understand, and an hour later, his hand was cramping from signing it all over and over again. The package turned out to be a little kit for the paternity test. She put on some gloves and swabbed the inside of his mouth before sticking it in a tube and sealing it in a little bag. The inspection was quick, but thorough. She went through every room in the house, checking drawers and closets, asking questions. It was invasive, but necessary if it meant he would be able to take care of his kid.

“I’d like to set up some supervised visits for this week,” she said as she was packing up her things, “It would help to establish the bond between the two of you. Also you seem pretty eager to meet him and I’m sure you’d go crazy thinking about it for a week.”

“Yes. Absolutely,” he spat out eagerly, “I mean I’d really like that.”

“Of course. It’s Friday now, how about we come by Sunday morning,” she asked pulling out a day planner.

“That soon? I’m not complaining or anything, but I didn’t think you people worked weekends,” he said trying to hide his nerves.

“It’s true that the corporate side of this business is very 9 to 5, but my job takes me where and when a child needs me to be,” she said with a smile, “I’ll put you down for Sunday morning at 9. Do you have any questions or concerns before I go?”

“Yeah actually,” he hesitated, “I did some pretty stupid shit as a kid and briefly landed myself in juvie. I turned my life around after that but it’s still on my record. Will that or the fact that I’m gay hurt my chances of getting my kid?”

“I’m going to be frank with you Mr. Milkovich,” she started, leveling him with her gaze, “While both of those things will be taken into account, as long as your records show you’re taking care of your shit, and that you can support Yevgeny, you’re golden. Also, it’s 2017. The gay thing doesn’t matter anymore. You’re a good man Mickey. I’m not allowed to tell you that you should go shopping for baby stuff because you’ll get your son. Not allowed at all.”

With that, she snapped her case closed, bid him farewell, and strode from his home leaving him sitting on the couch in silence. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but before long Mandy strode into the house, smelling of coffee, followed by a smiling Ian. He’d forgotten all about them in the shock of the news, and he wished he had time to prepare a speech or something.

“Hey assface,” she called making her way to the kitchen.

_“Hey,”_ Ian said, leaning down for a kiss, but pulling back upon seeing his face, _“What’s wrong?”_

_“Sit down,”_ he said hesitantly before standing and calling out to Mandy, _“Mandy, can you come in here please?”_

She comes into the room, worried look on her face at his hesitant tone.

“What’s going on,” she said suspiciously as Mickey gestured for her to sit next to Ian.

_“I have some news,”_ he starts after taking a deep breath, _“Some big, terrifying news. But I think It’s really good news at the same time.”_

_“Spit it out Mickey. You’re rambling,”_ Ian said getting antsy.

Mickey took a deep breath and looked from Ian to his sister and back, making full eye contact.

_“So it turns out I have a kid.”_


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Here's another chapter for you! I really hope you like it. We get to meet baby Yev for the first time, and we have some fun interactions as well. On with the show!

The silence following his statement was almost funny. The two just kind of sat there staring at him, and Mickey could almost see the cogs turning in their heads trying to process the information. Instead of letting them draw their own, incorrect, conclusions, Mickey steamrolled on whether they were ready for it or not.

_“Svetlana was a prostitute my old man was a fan of. Mandy knows this part of the story,”_ Mickey began, sitting on the coffee table facing his sister and boyfriend, _“When he found out I liked boys, he freaked and forced Svetlana and me to fuck at gunpoint. I guess he thought it would make the gay go away.”_

Mickey had no Idea if any of this was registering with Mandy as she had this kinda checked out look in her eyes, but Ian was staring silently at him, face unreadable.

_“After that, we stayed in touch. We talked and hung out occasionally, but never very often,”_ Mickey continued, _“About two months before I bought this house, we got really drunk on Russian vodka, and had sex. After that night, I never heard from her again. I guess now I know why. Well, it turns out that she had some kind of defect, and like the stubborn, Russian bitch she was, she decided to have the baby even though there were risks. She died giving birth, but she had some will that said I was the dad. A social worker came today and gave me the news. Indeed you to know, I’m taking custody of my son.”_

With that, he just stared into Ian’s eyes, willing him to be ok with this. Ian stared back for a second before taking a deep breath and leaning forward to wrap his arms around Mickey’s shoulders, leaving a kiss on his lips before burying his face into Mickey’s neck. Mickey had a moment to relax into his relief before Mandy launched herself from the couch with a high pitched squeal, and jumped about the living room screaming and laughing in her excitement.

“BABY, BABY, BABY,” Mandy chanted making Mickey roll his eyes, pulling away from Ian with a chuckle.

_“Are you really ok with this,”_ he asked Ian, taking his hand.

_“More than ok,”_ Ian said with a nod, _“I’m sad that you lost a friend, but I’m so happy that baby has you to take care of him. You’re a daddy Mick.”_

“BABY, BABY, BABY!”

_“Yeah. I still don’t know how to feel about it, but I’m going to give this kid the life I never had,”_ he said before looking down shyly, _“I want you to do this with me. I’m not asking you to marry me, and adopt him, and pick out china patterns and stuff. Not yet, but I know that I want you to be part of our family, and help raise my son.”_

_“I don’t scare that easily Mickey Milcovich,”_ Ian said with a smirk, _“I’m not going to lie, I thought kids would come up much later in our relationship, but I honestly can’t wait to go shopping for baby clothes.”_

“BABY, BABY, BABY, AAAAHHHHHHH I’M GONNA BE AN AUNTIE!”

_“Mandy will you shut the fuck up already,”_ Mickey yelled, picking up a throw pillow and launching it at her head.

“I can’t help it I’m just so excited,” she said as she threw herself onto the couch, “When do I get to hold my nephew?”

_“I gave the social worker a DNA sample for the paternity test today. Officially, it’ll take a week, but we set up a few visits this week. The first one is Sunday morning,”_ he said as he pulled out the photograph, and handed it to them.

“Aww he’s the most beautiful potato I ever saw,” she said, leaning close to Ian so they could both look, “What’s his name?”

_“Yevgeny, and he does not look like a potato,”_ he said glaring at his sister.

_“He’s beautiful Mickey,”_ Ian said chuckling.

“ _Yeah he is,”_ Mickey said fondly, _“I’m gonna clean out the spare bedroom tomorrow, and I’ll have to go shopping for a crib and baby stuff too.”_

_“I’ll help you,”_ Ian said, _“But for now, it’s time for dinner.”_

They’d taken one step into Baby’s R Us when he realized he had no idea what babies needed. He was just about to send himself into a panic attack, when Ian calmly took him by the elbow and bodily dragged him to retrieve a cart and steered them over to the farthest isle. It took a few minutes, but before long, Mickey was shopping like he was some rapper’s video-hoe trophy wife. He started tossing everything he thought he might want in the cart while Ian would surreptitiously remove the more frivolous or downright ridiculous items.

_“Mickey, Yevgeny doesn’t need a diaper genie that connects to the internet,”_ Ian said removing the item and replacing it with the standard version, “ _The regular one will be more than enough.”_

_“Fine,”_ Mickey said with a huff, _“but you’ll be the one to explain to him, when he’s older, how you didn’t love him enough to let him have it.”_

_“I’m sure it’ll be truly devastating, and will affect him for the rest of his life,”_ Ian replied, face dripping with sarcasm, but Mickey had already moved on to look at breastfeeding simulators with a serious expression on his face.

By the time they reached the checkout counter, their basket was overflowing with stuff, and Ian looked as if he could strangle Mickey and have a smile on his face the whole time. The sour expression quickly changed to one of glee when the cashier read off the total and Mickey thought he was going to have a heart attack. Mickey begrudgingly swiped his bank card and entered his PIN before he and Ian started loading their purchases into the cart. The cashier handed over a long ribbon of receipt before wishing them a great day. They loaded Mickey’s car to the brim with their purchases and headed home.

When Mandy got home from work that evening, she took one look at her brother sitting on the floor, surrounded by parts to a crib, scowling at the directions, and immediately took out her phone to take pictures.

“You design and build buildings for a living, and you can’t figure out a baby’s crib,” Mandy asked, laughing as she dodged a throw pillow aimed at her head.

“It’s not that easy you walking yeast infection,” Mickey grouched, turning back to the instructions, “If you’re not going to help then go away.”

“Fine. I’m helping,” she said with a chuckle, “Where’s Ian?”

“He has a family dinner with the Gallagher’s tonight. He wanted to stay but I told him to go spend time with his family. He’ll be coming over in the morning to meet Yevgeny though,” he said absently as he fitted various pieces together.

They worked together, chatting aimlessly for the rest of the evening. When their project was finally finished, they drug it into the nursery.

“Holy shit Mickey,” she said taking in the sight of piles of various baby items, “Is there anything left in the store?”

“Fuck off. I got a little carried away alright?”

“I’ll say. How much did all of this cost you?”

“Way too much. But I wanted to be ready.”

“News flash big brother,” she said putting her head on his shoulder, “No matter how much stuff they buy or how many books they read, no one is ever ready to have a baby. You’re going to be an amazing dad Mickey.”

“I hope so,” he replied with a sigh, “At least he’ll have you and Ian to love him too.”

“Don’t forget Lip and the rest of the Gallaghers. They’re good people. Family.”

“This kid’s gonna have more family than he knows what to do with,” he said with a chuckle, kissing Mandy on the crown of her head, “Time for bed. We need our rest if we’re gonna be spending the morning meeting my son. That still sounds weird.”

 

The next morning found Ian and Mandy watched in astonishment as Mickey cleaned every inch of the house. It was like Martha Stuart jacked up on speed or something. Mickey had woken up early and decided the house was far too filthy to allow a baby to cross the threshold. Ian thought it was cute. Mickey just told him to shut up.

“Mickey, I really don’t think Yev is going to care if the freezer is cleaned out,” Mandy said from a safe distance in case Mickey decided to throw something frozen at her.

_“Right,”_ he said, after a moment’s thought, replacing all the goods, _“Do you think my clothes are ok? I want to make a good impression.”_

_“You are fine,”_ Ian said grabbing Mickey on both sides of his face and kissing him soundly before pulling back, _“Take a deep breath and try to calm down. Babies like it when things are calm.”_

Mickey took a deep calming breath before wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. He tensed when there was a knock at the door and Ian kissed him on the temple before giving him a push towards the door. After another breath, he gathered his nerves and opened the door. There stood Brittany, dressed smartly in a navy pant suit, holding a diaper bag on one shoulder and a car seat in the opposite hand.

“Good morning Mickey. May we come in?”

Mickey could only nod and step aside eyes glued to the baby in the car seat as she strode past into the living room. As she set her bag on the floor, her eyes found Ian and Mandy.

“Uh. _This is Mandy, my sister, and Ian, my boyfriend_ ,” Mickey said, thankfully remembering to sign for Ian’s benefit, _“Guys this is Brittany Sturgess from DCFS.”_

_“It’s a pleasure to meet the both of you,”_ Brittany said, using perfect sign language to Mickey’s astonishment shaking their hands before turning to unstrap the baby and lift him into her arms, wrapping him in a blanket, “Mickey this is your son Yevgeny.”

Mickey’s mouth went dry as he stepped forward gently cradling Yev in his arms. The sleeping baby was so little. His little hands were stuffed in sock things and he made tiny little snoring sounds as he slept, suckling on his pacifier. Mickey lent down and pressed a tiny kiss to Yev’s forehead feeling the silky hairs tickle his nose, as he took in the feeling of having his son in his arms. He wasn’t ready for the wave of emotion that swept through him, so powerful, but rather than sweep him away, it filled him to bursting. Mickey didn’t think it was possible to instantly love another person upon meeting them, but holding Yev in his arms proved to him how wrong that was. This tiny soul, wrapped in a blue blanket, had thoroughly stolen his heart. He looked up as a hand was placed on his arm, and he smiled wide at Ian as he leaned down to press a kiss to his lips.

“Look at how perfect he is Ian,” Mickey said, voice wavering with emotion.

Ian put an arm around his waist and held them close so he could see. He took one finger and rubbed it down Yev’s cheek.

“Do you want to hold him,” he asked.

Ian smiled and nodded as he cradled his arms around the baby and gently lifted him from Mickey’s arms. The sight of Ian holding his son, smiling down so fondly at him, did something amazing to his insides. He realized, then and there, that Ian was it for him. He wanted to see this sight everyday for the rest of his life.

He was jarred from his thoughts by the sound of a sobbing Mandy trumpeting loudly into a wad of tissues. The baby started crying in Ian’s arms and Mickey sighed. This was his life now.

“ _If you can manage to pull yourself together, you can hold the baby,”_ Mickey grumbled to her as he took the baby from Ian and began making soothing sounds to him, ignoring Ian pulling his phone out to take pictures. Yev’s little whimpers died away and his little red face began to clear and he slipped back into sleep as Mickey popped the pacifier back in.

Mandy dried her eyes and stuffed the tissues into her pocket before holding her arms out to receive the baby.

“Hello Yev,” she cooed quietly, “I’m your Auntie Mandy and I’m gonna spoil you rotten.”

The rest of the visit went by smoothly. Ian got the chance to feed Yev his bottle and he’d cried a little. Mickey laughed when Ian burped Yev and the baby spit up all over his shirt. Mandy took a million pictures and promised she’d have them printed the next day. Finally, when Ms. Sturgess strapped Yev up and said her good byes, Mickey cried. The sight of this woman leaving with his child, even though he knew Yev would be his by the end of the week, was just too much for him. He stood there on the porch, silent tears sliding down his face, as Ms. Sturgess drove away. The next meeting was on Tuesday and it couldn’t come any sooner for Mickey. He felt Ian’s arms wrap around his waist as he set his chin on Mickey’s shoulder. They didn’t say anything. They didn’t need to. Just knowing Ian was there, was enough to lift his spirits. He had a family. It didn’t happen the way you see it in movies or in books, but it was just as beautiful.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late, and short chapter. I had a true Gallagher holiday and it took a toll on me. I'm still working through things but staying positive. I'm going to try to stay on a regular posting schedule from here on out but I may be late here and there. Anyways, here's a fun little look into "Daddy Day 1."

The next week was exhausting. On top of work, and spending time with Mickey getting things ready for the baby, all of Ian’s spare time was spent pouring over blogs and websites for any helpful information on parenting for the deaf. It was funny that all of his work involved hearing parents adapting to having deaf children, but he never once thought about the challenges of being a deaf, first-time parent to a newborn. Sure, he wasn’t exactly a parent yet, but Mickey said he wanted to do this with him. The thought of raising a baby with Mickey gave him happy little butterflies in his belly. The thought had crossed hid mind before Yev had been thrust into their lives, but it had always been on of those abstract, ‘someday’ kinds of things. It was something that would happen years down the road, not 7 months into their relationship. He knew the thought should scare him, but after holding that little baby, he knew leaving wasn’t an option for him. One day, this beautiful baby boy would call him daddy, the same as he would Mickey, and there was nothing he wanted more.

The day finally came. They were set to meet with Ms. Sturgess to finalize everything, so Mickey could officially become a daddy. The nursery was all set up, the house was baby proofed, Ian even bought a baby monitor attachment for his vibrating alarm clock for the nights he spent in Mickey’s bed. They were as ready as they could be.

When she arrived, Ms. Sturgess had with her several boxes of baby stuff that had been given to them as per Svetlana’s will. Ian took the boxes into the nursery to sort through while Mickey was dealing with the paperwork. There were toys, diapers, clothes, even formula. There was even a box that turned out to be an unopened car seat. They already had one, but he supposed this one could go in his car in case he needed it.

In the bottom of one of the boxes, he found a picture frame. It was a simple, glossy black frame with the word mommy written in silver across the bottom. It looked homemade but still well done. The woman in the photograph, who was obviously Svetlana, had shoulder length brown hair, and pale skin. She was a severe woman, but still maintained this delicate, feminine beauty about her. Mickey had talked about her a little. He’d said she was a raging bitch, but was passionate about those she cared about. He smiled as he stared down at the picture, before standing and walking over to place it on top of the dresser they’d mounted to the wall opposite the crib. He took in the picture for a moment more, before setting himself to the task of putting away all of the items from the boxes.

Things resolved themselves pretty quickly after that. Ian felt like it was almost anticlimactic really. Soon enough it was just the three of them, on the couch with Yev snoozing away in Mickey’s arms. Ian couldn’t help but snap a few photos on his phone, which Mickey pretended not to notice, and sent them to Mandy and Fiona. They spent the rest of the day that way, playing with the baby and chatting. Mickey was granted leave from work so he could spend lots of time adjusting his life around being a father. Watching Mickey change his first dirty diaper had been an experience he wouldn’t soon forget. He’d placed the crying baby on the changing table like he was handling a bomb that would go off any moment. He’d taken a moment to undo the snaps on the bottom of Yev’s onsie and carefully undid the fasteners on the diaper and immediately started gagging. Ian just stood there, stifling his giggles and watched as a gagging Mickey peeled back the diaper just in time for Yev to rip a huge, wet fart spraying Mickey wrist to chest in a fine mist of baby poop. That was the final straw as Ian burst into laughter as he moved in to take over so Mickey could sprint from the room in the direction of the bathroom. Ian had changed more of Liam’s diapers than he could count, so he made quick work of cleaning the baby and getting him into a new diaper.

Ian took out a blanket and some toys, and spread them out onto the floor so he and Yev could play. Being so young, he wasn’t all that interested, but Ian did get a few gummy smiles out of the kid, so he counted that as a win as he took more pictures. Eventually, Mickey joined him, clad in sweat pants and a wife beater, hair wet, and skin pink from the heat of the shower.

_“That was the most disgusting thing that ever happened to me,”_ Mickey said as he sat on the floor next to his boyfriend.

_“Get used to it,”_ Ian said with a smile, leaning in for a kiss, _“You’ll be changing about a million more before he’s potty trained. Look at the plus side.”_

_“What’s that,”_ Mickey asked, raising an eyebrow.

_“You’ll never have to doubt that paternity test,”_ Ian said with a wry smile, _“You’re the only man I know who can fart like that.”_

Mickey rolled his eyes and gave Ian a sideways shove with a laugh.

_“Before we know it, he’ll be getting tattoos and beating other babies up for their animal crackers,”_ Ian continued, playing with Yev’s little toes.

_“Not if I have anything to do with it,”_ Mickey said, _“He’ll be a happy little kid, who has goals and ambitions, and does his homework, and he’ll have just a little bit of that Southside toughness in him.”_

_“You know you’re a good person right,”_ Ian asked tentatively, _“Your past doesn’t change the fact that you’re an amazing man today. This kid is lucky to have you as his dad.”_

They were quiet after that, just enjoying their quiet moment with Yev.

 


End file.
